So I'm Writing a Novel...

Ep50 My People

Oh ho! And thus we enter the third quarter of Oliver outlining Untitled Sword & Sorcery Novel with this novella-length love letter to his favorite Robert E. Howard tale of Conan the Cimmerian, People of the Black Circle.Read People of the Black Circle for free.Read THE LEGEND OF GWÂSHBRÂRI, THE GLACIER-HEARTED QUEEN, the myth Oliver mentions in the recording, also for free.Episode 4 of the podcast, where I break down People of the Black Circle in detail, comparing it with Lin Carter & L Sprague de Camp's Conan the Buccaneer, a nautical tale which is too similar not to be inspired by People.www.soimwritinganovel.comPATREON: www.patreon.com/soimwritinganovelBUY OLIVER'S BOOKS: https://www.oliverbrackenbury.com/storeSO I'M WRITING A NOVEL... TWITTER: https://twitter.com/so_writingOLIVER'S TWITTER: https://twitter.com/obrackenburyOliver's Link Tree (For everything else): https://linktr.ee/obrackenbury

Ep51 Voe Loses It

In this story Voe is faced with an important choice similar to one from a previous story, and the decision she makes will echo throughout the entire rest of the novel!Among other things, Oliver discusses how to tell what's good or maybe not so good to kick down the road for Future You to deal with, the challenge of avoiding creating bad pastiche, and how focusing on character can really help with figuring out all the other facets of your story.Read Rogues in the House by Robert E. Howard for free.Read The Tower of the Elephant by Robert E. Howard for free.
www.soimwritinganovel.comPATREON: www.patreon.com/soimwritinganovelBUY OLIVER'S BOOKS: https://www.oliverbrackenbury.com/storeSO I'M WRITING A NOVEL... TWITTER: https://twitter.com/so_writingOLIVER'S TWITTER: https://twitter.com/obrackenburyOliver's Link Tree (For everything else): https://linktr.ee/obrackenbury

Ep52 The Gibbet

Voe hits rock bottom, hung high in an iron cage hanging from a post by a major road! How will she get out of this, and what will be left of her?
Among other things, Oliver discusses how to tell when there's enough "there" there, the difficulties of keeping a story interesting in a "bottle episode" , the difficulties of knowing you want to evoke an author's style without just doing a bad imitation, and more!www.soimwritinganovel.comPATREON: www.patreon.com/soimwritinganovelBUY OLIVER'S BOOKS: https://www.oliverbrackenbury.com/storeSO I'M WRITING A NOVEL... TWITTER: https://twitter.com/so_writingOLIVER'S TWITTER: https://twitter.com/obrackenburyOliver's Link Tree (For everything else): https://linktr.ee/obrackenbury

Ep53 New Edge Authors Say Hello

Oliver talks with the authors behind all six original Sword & Sorcery short stories featured in New Edge Sword & Sorcery magazine in a round-robin of mini-interviews! Did....did we mention he's the editor of a brand new magazine, who's first issue just came out?Get the magazine...FREE ePub/PDF on PayhipSoftcover ($4usd) & Hardcover ($12usd) on Amazon.com (but also available through most other domains)Super-low intensity mailing list to find out when there are new issues or crowdfunding for new issues.
www.soimwritinganovel.comPATREON: www.patreon.com/soimwritinganovelBUY OLIVER'S BOOKS: https://www.oliverbrackenbury.com/storeSO I'M WRITING A NOVEL... TWITTER: https://twitter.com/so_writingOLIVER'S TWITTER: https://twitter.com/obrackenburyOliver's Link Tree (For everything else): https://linktr.ee/obrackenbury

Ep54 Weird Fiction & Sword & Sorcery with Scott Dorward

Weird Fiction is a term from the days which birthed Sword &Sorcery, arguably a key ingredient in the genre, but what is it exactly? To discuss this curious intersection of horror, science fiction, and S&S, Oliver sits down with Scott Dorward, an experienced horror TTRPG author, podcaster, and scholar of fiction both weird & Weird...The Good Friends of Jackson Elias (Scott's podcast he co-hosts)Beyond Lovecraft (Oliver's other interview with Scott, over on Unknown Worlds of the Merril Collection)The Tale of Satampra Zeiros (The Clark Ashton Smith story whose name you'll hear Oliver fail to recall...)Under the Spell of Keith Taylor’s Bard Songs by Brian Murphy (Quoted in the interview)www.soimwritinganovel.comPATREON: www.patreon.com/soimwritinganovelBUY OLIVER'S BOOKS: https://www.oliverbrackenbury.com/storeSO I'M WRITING A NOVEL... TWITTER: https://twitter.com/so_writingOLIVER'S TWITTER: https://twitter.com/obrackenburyOliver's Link Tree (For everything else): https://linktr.ee/obrackenbury

Ep 55 – Writing Workshops with Christopher Rowe

Oliver talks with author and writing teacher Christopher Rowe about writing workshops, such as The Clarion Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers' Workshop, where he recently taught. What exactly does a workshop involve? How do you get into one, and what can you expect to get out of it? How, if at all, are they changing with the times? They discuss all this, and more.
Christopher Rowe's author site (Socials: IG, FB, Twitter)Craft in the Real World: Rethinking Fiction Writing and Workshopping by Matthew SalessesThe Whetstone Tavern Discord
www.soimwritinganovel.comPATREON: www.patreon.com/soimwritinganovelBUY OLIVER'S BOOKS: https://www.oliverbrackenbury.com/storeSO I'M WRITING A NOVEL... TWITTER: https://twitter.com/so_writingOLIVER'S TWITTER: https://twitter.com/obrackenburyOliver's Link Tree (For everything else): https://linktr.ee/obrackenbury

Ep 56 – Interview with Scott Oden

Oliver sat down with author Scott Oden to discuss the challenges of writing in another person's voice, especially one as well known as Robert E. Howard, and spiraled off into a wide variety of topics related to the life of a writer.Scott's Author Page (FB, Twitter)www.soimwritinganovel.comPATREON: www.patreon.com/soimwritinganovelBUY OLIVER'S BOOKS: https://www.oliverbrackenbury.com/storeSO I'M WRITING A NOVEL... TWITTER: https://twitter.com/so_writingOLIVER'S TWITTER: https://twitter.com/obrackenburyOliver's Link Tree (For everything else): https://linktr.ee/obrackenbury

Ep 57 – Publishing and Promotion with Sean CW Korsgaard

How do publishers promote their author's books, and what kind of decision-making goes into that? Why don't they just press the big red button marked "Instant Best Seller"? Wanting answers, we recorded Oliver's conversation about all this with Sean CW Korsgaard, who works on the promotion side of Baen Books in his roles as Assistant Editor and Media & Military Liason.
 
Baen Books ( Facebook, Twitter)www.soimwritinganovel.comPATREON: www.patreon.com/soimwritinganovelBUY OLIVER'S BOOKS: https://www.oliverbrackenbury.com/storeSO I'M WRITING A NOVEL... TWITTER: https://twitter.com/so_writingOLIVER'S TWITTER: https://twitter.com/obrackenburyOliver's Link Tree (For everything else): https://linktr.ee/obrackenbury
 

Ep 58 – Worldbuilding with J.M. Frey

Worldbuilding is one of the most enjoyable aspects of genre writing, but it can also be quite daunting. Luckily J.M. Frey, author and giver of nearly ten years worth of talks on the subject, is releasing a new book to help!
Check out the book on Jess' author siteArchitect Breaks Down “Bridgerton” Mansions | Architectural DigestNew Edge Sword & Sorcery Mailing List, FB, Twitter, IG, and the site itself.
www.soimwritinganovel.comPATREON: www.patreon.com/soimwritinganovelBUY OLIVER'S BOOKS: https://www.oliverbrackenbury.com/storeSO I'M WRITING A NOVEL... TWITTER: https://twitter.com/so_writingOLIVER'S TWITTER: https://twitter.com/obrackenburyOliver's Link Tree (For everything else): https://linktr.ee/obrackenbury
 

Oliver’s Other Podcast ”Unknown Worlds of the Merril Collection”

In which I discuss Climate Fiction with scifi luminary Kim Stanley Robinson.Unknown Worlds of the Merril Collection (Also available everywhere people find podcasts)The Merril Collection of Science Fiction, Speculation & FantasyThe Friends of MerrilNew Edge Sword & Sorcery (that magazine Oliver mentions he's making)